Raspberry Tart Terror (Murder in the Mix Book 30) Unknown (christmas read aloud .TXT) 📖

“Mother,” I whisper. “You have got to be kidding me. This is a travesty. This place is a hollow shell of the sweet little inn you were running. We need to find a way to put an end to this nightmare.”

Mom leans in. “I happen to agree with you, but Cressida and Cormack spent the afternoon letting go of anyone from my staff that complained about the changes. Lottie, if I don’t go along with their shenanigans, I could find myself homeless. Then Wiley and I will have to live with you, or one of your sisters. I’m flat broke. I can’t even rent a home in Honey Hollow. I gave all my money to that publishing company.” She plucks at the hot pink frock she’s wearing. “I’d better get out on the floor. I need to tend to the partygoers.”

She takes off, and my entire body goes rigid. “Lainey,” I hiss as my sister heads this way. “Mom is this close to getting booted from the B&B, and she’s threatened to live with either you, me, or Meg. We need to get this B&B back in her name no matter what it takes, or you’re going to have both her and Wiley living under your roof.”

Lainey’s mouth falls open. “My roof? You’re the one building the mega mansion. They might be under my roof temporarily, but face it, Lottie, they’ll be shacking up with you forever. Once Meg gets a whiff of this, she’ll move into Red Satin. She’d rather live with a bunch of strippers than our mother and Wiley any day of the week.”

“Come to think of it, so would I.”

“I’ll catch you out on the dance floor,” she says. “The fire department is participating in the all-male dance-off tonight. Woohoo!” She shimmies her shoulders. “I can’t wait to see my hot hubby in action. Speaking of which, I hope to see the hot judge doing his thing, too. It’s going to be a real show!” she shouts as she takes off for that raucous party going full swing right outside the door.

“Everett isn’t stripping!” I shout back just as Cressida struts by with a laugh buried in her throat.

“Think again, Leanne. That man will do whatever I ask him to,” she says as she exits the room.

“Except leave me,” I shout after her.

What am I saying? Everett wouldn’t so much as pick up a pencil for Cressida after she robbed him of Evie’s childhood.

“Wait!” Sugar Hartley runs past me with her pale tresses glowing pink under the bizarre lighting taking over the B&B. “Isn’t that the hot judge? Don’t start without me!” she trills as she dives into the crowd outside the border of this room.

Great. The entire female population of Vermont is interested in seeing my husband bare it all.

And really? Could I blame them?

The room quickly drains, and don’t think I didn’t notice that Keelie hustled herself out of here without so much as a hello once that whoop of a siren went off in the next room. And I’m guessing that sound had more to do with an imminent strip tease than it did an imminent arrest.

Just my luck. It had better not be the hot judge doing the teasing, or else the hot judge is going to be in some serious hot water.

Teddy floats in front of me as miniature pink stars trail in her wake. “Say, Lottie, I think maybe Carlotta forgot to ask Juliet about that last conversation she was having with Verity the night of the murder.”

I nod her way. “Watch a pro take over,” I say as I make my way to Juliet as she works to collapse the folding chairs.

“Oh, you can just leave those,” I tell her. “All the more room to snuggle with.”

We share a warm laugh on the absurdity of it all.

Juliet leans in. “And did you get a load of all those stuffed bears?”

I nod. “It’s darn right creepy if you ask me.”

“I knew I liked you,” she teases just as her phone goes off and she glances to the screen. “Oh no. A customer accidentally trashed my store and the poor teenager I hired to help out is threatening to quit.”

“That’s terrible!” I jump a little at the thought as Teddy and I exchange a quick glance.

“Oh, come now, Lottie.” Teddy scoffs. “Carlotta was right. You really do like to play the blame game.”

I avert my eyes at that one.

“Juliet, I’m afraid that was me,” I confess with a sigh.

Her eyes flash my way. “You?”

“I stopped by to pick up a few skeins, you know, to give my mother in hopes she’ll turn them into something wonderful for the baby? And well, I may have knocked over a thing or twelve.” My hand pats my blooming belly and the baby gives a sweet lazy kick. “My sincerest apologies.”

“Do not worry about it at all!” She laughs as if it were suddenly funny.

“Whew!” Teddy pretends to faint as she floats off alongside me. “For a second there, I thought we were dead in the water. Carlotta called it. You really can be sloppy, Lottie.”

My mouth opens at the accusation—a false one at that.

I lean toward the suspect at hand. “Juliet, the night Verity was killed, she was set to debut a new song.”

Her eyes widen at the thought. “Oh goodness. Does this have something to do with those messages your daughter is getting? Sugar was just telling me all about it.”

“She was?” My brows furrow as I try to digest this.

“Yup. Sugar said Verity has been sending Evie private messages from the beyond.” She shivers when she says it. “I’m sorry, but that actually sends a chill up my spine.”

“How would Sugar know that?”

She shrugs. “Maybe your daughter mentioned it?”

“I’m sure she did.” Not. Everett, Noah, and I sat Evie down and told her that under no circumstances should she tell anyone else. Although she may have alluded to the fact the other night at the book